There has been a steady growth of Hand Surgery as a surgical speciality in the last fifty years. Hand Surgery developed as a speciality during and immediately after the second world war under the guidance and stimulation of sterling Bunnel, a surgeon from San Francisco. From Bunnels' teaching, a first generation of 35 American surgeons emerged who founded the American Society for Surgery of the hand in 1947. The societies for surgery of the hand gradually proliferated all over the world and the first meeting of International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand was held in 1966.

    In India, a Hand Club was formed in 1967 and the platform chosen was Indian Orthopaedic Association. The Indian Society for Surgery of the hand was born on 15th August 1973, an auspicious and appropriate day in Indian History. The first meeting of the society was held in January 1974 and was presided over by late Mr. G. Pulvertaft, a British Orthopaedic Surgeon and doyen of Hand Surgery. The following were the office bearers at the time of first meeting of the society.